Protect Our Land

What the F is happening with global warming??

November 29, 2018

by Sarah Whitman

You may have heard about the National Climate Assessment report that was recently published. You may have even clicked on said report, tried to read it, and then realized even the summary is really freakin’ long. If you had experienced some TL;DR, don’t worry - we’ve got you.

In case you didn’t notice, a lot of cr*p is going on with the environment right now: fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes (oh my!). We’re giving you the scoop on the NCA report including what you can do to make a difference right now.

THE BIG PICTURE: Climate change is happening at a faster rate than ever before, and the effects are already being felt in communities, especially lower-income and marginalized ones. These areas have fewer resources to prepare for natural disasters and are more likely to have weak infrastructure that can’t stand up to large storms. Other communities vulnerable to climate change are those that depend on natural resources for their economies, such as tourism, agriculture, and fisheries. Global warming (yes the literal warming of the globe) is predicted to cost the economy hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century. Yikes.

Other risks you’ve probably heard about include higher likelihoods of drought, more asthma from poor air quality, Indigenous peoples at risk because of their reliance on natural resources, and threats to energy and transportation systems. Let me just say this blog post is NOT meant to scare you. We want you all to be informed and educated about what’s going on in the world and then tell you what the F to do about it.

Essentially the report tells us that we have to take action now in order to stop climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are the number one cause of global warming, and fossil fuels account for 85% of greenhouse emissions. It’s serious people.

Yes, there are still climate deniers and people in the pocket of Big Oil and Coal, but those of us who know the truth outnumber those who are pushing away the facts. We need to encourage our legislators to make climate change a priority by cutting spending on fossil fuel companies and investing in clean energy. Because guess what people! If our world shrivels up there’s not going to be anything else to advocate for!!

The freshmen in Congress and The House are young, excited, and ready to make a difference. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has already outlined a Green New Deal she plans to execute once she actually starts. Bless her heart.

Here’s what you can do now: text ACT FUND to 52886 to tell your representatives to stop giving money to the fossil fuel industry. In case you forgot, they work for us, and we’re ready to hold them accountable for their campaign promises.